James Hewitt Market Communications : ContactHome>Service Options>About James Hewitt's Freelance Service
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About James Hewitt Market Communications
Established in 2001, James Hewitt Market Communications is a creative freelance service provided by designer–copywriter James Hewitt.
Since 2001 the client list for my service has steadily risen to around thirty companies and individuals. Projects undertaken have covered a wide range of business needs with a portfolio ranging from start-ups and small businesses, through medium-sized enterprises to international level, and assistance ranging from services such as design of letterheads, logos and brochure materials, writing of brochures, customer letters, press releases and web content to niche expertise in developing on- and off-line multilingual communications and less standard services and special projects such as research or report writing.
During this time my service has established links with a network of trusted associate services such as web and multimedia design, suppliers of print and reprographic services, language translation and video production, as well as contacts in other business areas. There are, however, no ties to any one company, giving you the benefit of a truly independent service.
Geographical Coverage
Based in Salisbury, south Wiltshire in central southern England my service can cater for clients in an area roughly covering Wiltshire, Dorset, Hampshire, west Surrey, west Sussex, west and south Berkshire, the Bath and Bristol area and south-west and central London.
I have also carried out projects for clients further afield and in other countries with the aid of email, FTP, remote web access and not least the highly versatile PDF format.
Freelance Solutions
combining expertise and experience with flexibility
- Small-to-medium enterprises
- Larger enterprises
- Start-up businesses
- Marketing and design agencies
- Publishing
. solutions for small-to-medium enterprises
If you don't have creative resources in-house, my service offers all the flexibility and experience you need to see a project through from conception to production. Experience spans working both directly with the company owner, managing director or marketing director, as well as alongside in-house staff as part of a team.
. solutions for larger enterprises
For companies who have creative departments in-house, the availability of additional, freelance resources can be useful in a number of ways: when in-house resources are stretched; covering for permanent staff absences; off-loading tasks to allow in-house staff to focus on more critical work; or the need for expertise in particular areas such as working with other languages.
Having worked in a large company myself for many years, I have some understanding of how things work in this type of environment, including, for example, working with contributors spread over a number of different sites or countries, or the need to gain authorisation or approval from a number of sources.
. solutions for start-up businesses
When getting a business off the ground, there is plenty to think about. A host of set-up costs seem to be incurred all at the same time – business insurance, equipment and, of course, the development of your company logo. When working with my service, you will be working with someone who has been through a similar process and understands the start-up situation and its promotional needs, and you may find the more personal and flexible nature of a freelance service of particular value.
. solutions for marketing and design agencies
If this is you, then you will probably be no stranger to using freelance suppliers. I am always keen to develop new working relationships by proving to be a dependable resource in helping to meet deadlines or win and keep new business.
Assistance can cover a range of flexible options:
- copywriting
- editing
- proof reading
- hands-on expertise in various DTP and design programs
- preparation and/or checking of print-ready artwork
- account management
- multilingual production expertise
- research
- helping develop new ideas
- experience in a particular business sector (see Background below)
- special projects
. solutions for publishers
Having worked in magazine production for a period of approximately eight years, including input on both the editorial side and a four-year stint as production editor, I can offer the benefits of experience gained in areas such as planning and pagination; design and layout or liaison with print production; as well as expertise in researching, developing, editing or proof reading written content in a deadline-oriented environment.
The Working Process
This section is aimed mainly at companies such as small-to-medium enterprises who do not have creative resources in-house and require assistance with the development of promotional communications or input in areas such as logo or identity design. The working process can be completely organic and based around the individual needs of a project, so the following outline is for guidance only.
The first stage is to help you decide whether my service is right for your project. You may be approaching a number of suppliers and making an initial decision based on price. You may also wish to meet with potential suppliers to discuss the requirements. Whatever the case, before work proceeds, an intial meeting provides an opportunity to see samples of work and client list and to assess the level of input my service can provide. A price estimate and proposal will then usually be submitted and, if these are acceptable, a purchase order would be required for work to commence.
If deadlines and time scales have not been discussed in the above stage, it is generally useful to establish these at the outset of a project. The work can then proceed at the required pace.
Using the example of developing completely new material, the process will generally move forward in stages – starting with an initial rough draft with various options to choose from, and building up from there, stage by stage, to a final version. This method ensures that you are happy with progress at each stage before going any further.
Once the content development and creative development stages are complete, your final approval (sign-off) is generally required before moving on to the production/publishing phase.
For print production, assistance can be limited to supplying print-ready artwork for you to give to your chosen print supplier, or your may wish for assistance to include further involvement such as putting a job out to competitive tender and print supplier liaison during production. For online publishing, web content and functionality can generally be tested in an online environment prior to going live.
Despite the great variety in what promotional material can contain, one of the key aims and outcomes that my service seeks to achieve is the creation of material that communicates a clear and relevant message to the audience of potential buyers, customers or end-users and helps initiate or develop a relationship with that audience.
Here is a summary of the process:
- Introduction – discussion of requirements – scoping and costing of input.
- Creative and content development in stages.
- Signing off design and content.
- Optional involvement at production stage.
Different hiring options
The typical hiring option is simply to receive a fixed amount of input for a fixed, one-off project proceeding on the basis of a fixed-price estimate.
Other types of hire would include options such as a retainer-based arrangement for more regular forms of assistance, or contractor-type arrangements based on an hourly or daily rate. A further option could be a fixed-term, PAYE-based, permanent contract, or part-time role, for example of up to two and a half days per week.
Pricing and Payment
If the requirements and scope of a project are known at the outset, it will usually be possible to provide a fixed-price estimate for all of a project or at least the initial phase. In other cases, guideline pricing or price breakdowns can be provided against various options. The main factors involved are the amount of time envisaged to complete a project and degree of expertise required. Additional costs would generally only be incurred on a fixed-price estimate if the scope of input subsequently changed or the time element was substantially higher than originally anticipated.
The option of spreading costs to help cash flow is available, especially for larger projects or important design work such as logos, where a compromised solution would not be desirable.
Standard payment terms are thirty days from invoice date. Invoices are typically raised on delivery or at four-weekly intervals. Where there is a commitment to longer-term, or more regular forms of contribution, discount arrangements can be offered.
Background
Having originally trained in languages, the skills and experience which initially led to the launch of my freelance copywriting and design service were gained over an eleven year period working in an international manufacturing environment, progressing through various roles in magazine publishing, promotions and marketing communications, firstly on the editorial side and gradually taking on responsibilities on the design and layout side.
This was a highly technical environment, providing exposure to a wide range of industries and technologies, resulting in wide-ranging technical knowledge acquisition and an emphasis on the business-to-business marketing of technical products and services.
With operations on a global scale, promotional budgets were relatively high and also comprised a multilingual element with literature typically being produced for a global distributor network in up to six different languages.
Following the move into freelance work, the sphere of activity has diversified both in terms of business areas and budget levels with a client base spanning a range of business sizes and sectors. As time has gone by the skill set underpinning my freelance resource has also diversified, adapting both to the internet age and the marketing and communications needs of today's businesses on the ground.
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